Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br />1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />49 <br />50 <br />Draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update <br />Executive Summary <br />July 17, 2009 <br />OWASA's draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update report identifies key recommendations <br />for meeting the expected water needs of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and the University of North <br />Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) through 2060. The draft report includes two principal findings: <br />1. Expansion of OWASA's Quarry Reservoir west of Carrboro continues to offer the <br />most cost-effective increment of additional supply and will provide full control of a <br />substantial amount of high quality water with minimal capital investment. An <br />expanded Quarry Reservoir is expected to meet most anticipated water supply <br />needs for the 50-year planning period. <br />2. OWASA should develop agreements with neighboring utilities to secure the <br />permanent ability to purchase or sell water under appropriate conditions of supply <br />and demand. Except for the expanded Quarry Reservoir, temporary purchases offer <br />the most cost-effective option evaluated, especially for the infrequent times and <br />limited amounts of water that may be needed during the next 25 years or more. <br />Purchase agreements also provide important mutual support when critical facilities <br />are out of service due to maintenance, equipment failure, severe weather, or other <br />emergency conditions. Continued participation in the recently established Jordan <br />Lake Partnership will provide important opportunities to develop such arrangements <br />and to gain cost-effective access to OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage <br />allocation. <br />In developing this report, OWASA conducted a thorough review of the underlying assumptions, <br />including demand projections, supply/demand-side alternatives that were evaluated in its last <br />comprehensive water supply report, Water Supply: A 50-Year Vision for Carrboro, Chapel Hill, <br />and Southern Orange County (March 2000), and other alternatives that have been identified <br />since that time. Highlights of the update include: <br />All customer groups -residential, commercial, and UNC -have significantly reduced <br />their drinking water consumption in recent years. During the same time, OWASA <br />implemented permanent process water recycling at its Jones Ferry Road Water <br />Treatment Plant, began operating a new reclaimed wastewater system serving UNC, <br />and aggressively promoted conservation through seasonal and tiered rates and an <br />ongoing customer education program. New residential, commercial, and UNC <br />development projects are increasingly relying on non-potable and advanced water <br />use efficiency technologies to reduce their drinking water needs. <br />- OWASA's existing Cane Cree/University Lake/Quarry Reservoir supply system can <br />meet the community's water supply needs substantially further into the future than <br />previously thought, even when reservoir levels are significantly lower than "normal." <br />- Investing in an expansion of OWASA's reclaimed water system or establishing <br />financial incentive programs, such as plumbing fixture rebates, to promote additional <br />water conservation is substantially less cost-effective than other options evaluated. <br />OWASA-funded support for such programs is not recommended at this time. <br />